Comments on: The lines are clearly drawn http://bearingdrift.com/2008/07/09/the-lines-are-clearly-drawn/ Fri, 25 May 2012 01:05:23 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Reid Greenmun http://bearingdrift.com/2008/07/09/the-lines-are-clearly-drawn/#comment-4091 Reid Greenmun Fri, 11 Jul 2008 16:32:52 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=648#comment-4091 No Henry, it is not. Because the majority of taxpayers and voters in Virginia Beach don't want to pay for a dumb Light Rail line to costs too much and does too little. The battle to kill Light Rail in Va Beach hasn't even begun. But you and your leftist, sociailist "we want a free ride" friends just keep thinking that the General Assembly funding a study is your version of George Bush's "mission accomplished". It is okay with us. No Henry, it is not. Because the majority of taxpayers and voters in Virginia Beach don’t want to pay for a dumb Light Rail line to costs too much and does too little.

The battle to kill Light Rail in Va Beach hasn’t even begun.

But you and your leftist, sociailist “we want a free ride” friends just keep thinking that the General Assembly funding a study is your version of George Bush’s “mission accomplished”.

It is okay with us.

]]> By: Henry Ryto http://bearingdrift.com/2008/07/09/the-lines-are-clearly-drawn/#comment-4026 Henry Ryto Thu, 10 Jul 2008 11:08:05 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=648#comment-4026 Yeah, and the V-P obviously never read the Floor Substitute for HB 6028 before running their story this morning. Yes, Reid, light rail is coming to Virginia Beach. :) Yeah, and the V-P obviously never read the Floor Substitute for HB 6028 before running their story this morning.

Yes, Reid, light rail is coming to Virginia Beach. :)

]]> By: Brian Kirwin http://bearingdrift.com/2008/07/09/the-lines-are-clearly-drawn/#comment-4024 Brian Kirwin Thu, 10 Jul 2008 09:44:23 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=648#comment-4024 Reid, 6055 was changed last night to have no tax increases. Put your rant button on pause once in a while. Reid, 6055 was changed last night to have no tax increases. Put your rant button on pause once in a while.

]]> By: Reid Greenmun http://bearingdrift.com/2008/07/09/the-lines-are-clearly-drawn/#comment-4023 Reid Greenmun Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:25:30 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=648#comment-4023 HB 6055 does include increases in fees in our region. But it is much improved over HB 3202. HB 6055 earmarks only 30% of the port's NEW revenues for our region's transportation improvements. However, even with such a modest ear mark of NEW revenues, they still foolishly placed a cap of $250M a year on the maximum amount of port profits that will be allowed to be used of offset the billions and billions of dollars required to pay for the port's new transportation infrastructure, On the downside, there are NO requirements (zero, dada, zip, none) for the selection of road, rail, and bus projects to reduce traffic congestion. Instead HB 6055 boldly admits that the bill had nothing to do with reducing traffic congestion and is strictly a bill all about speculative economic development. Sadly, the bill includes NO (zero, dada, zip, none) improvements that govern the way in which MPOs will select how to spend the money collected for Tidewater. Yet, HB 6055 abolishes the hated HRTA and hands over all of the power to the seriously flawed MPO! Yeah, yeah, yeah, the bill directs that VDOT solicit PPTA proposals to build the same dumb list of 6 MPO "pork" projects - and it throws in a PPTA proposal to add more lane capacity to the HRBT, but in the end all that amounts to is a new process that makes recommendations to the General Assembly, VDOT, and the CTB. There is no requirement to build ANY specific transportation projects. This is good and bad. Bad because it is a blank check and the MPO has already proven it isn't seeking any plan to reduce existing traffic bottlenecks, instead, the MPO is in bed with the Port Lobby - so to are VDOT and the CTB - and the General Assembly. Good because the 6 MPO projects are the wrong projects for our region and under HB 6055 the old list of projects can be changed by the MPO - and a new list developed that might actually improve our traffic flow and shift much more of the port's multimodal container traffic to rail instead of trucks and highways. Given recent events in the dramatic rise in the cost of diesel fuel, rail is quickly beoming a more economical mode of transportation for port cargo. A major disappointment in HB 6055 is a complete lack of controls placed on tolls. It appears that the plan is to allow the private for profit firms that will submit their proposals for the PPTA projects to have free reign to extort as much as they desire from our local residents for the use of our region's highway system. There are no caps on the cost of tolls and no process defined that requires toll increases to seek voter or General Assembly approval. This is a mistake. And those of us living in Tidewater will most likely suffer from abusive toll increases because of the failure of the General Assembly to place reasonable controls on the cost of tolls into HB 6055. HB 6055 does include increases in fees in our region. But it is much improved over HB 3202. HB 6055 earmarks only 30% of the port’s NEW revenues for our region’s transportation improvements. However, even with such a modest ear mark of NEW revenues, they still foolishly placed a cap of $250M a year on the maximum amount of port profits that will be allowed to be used of offset the billions and billions of dollars required to pay for the port’s new transportation infrastructure,

On the downside, there are NO requirements (zero, dada, zip, none) for the selection of road, rail, and bus projects to reduce traffic congestion.

Instead HB 6055 boldly admits that the bill had nothing to do with reducing traffic congestion and is strictly a bill all about speculative economic development.

Sadly, the bill includes NO (zero, dada, zip, none) improvements that govern the way in which MPOs will select how to spend the money collected for Tidewater. Yet, HB 6055 abolishes the hated HRTA and hands over all of the power to the seriously flawed MPO!

Yeah, yeah, yeah, the bill directs that VDOT solicit PPTA proposals to build the same dumb list of 6 MPO “pork” projects – and it throws in a PPTA proposal to add more lane capacity to the HRBT, but in the end all that amounts to is a new process that makes recommendations to the General Assembly, VDOT, and the CTB. There is no requirement to build ANY specific transportation projects.

This is good and bad.

Bad because it is a blank check and the MPO has already proven it isn’t seeking any plan to reduce existing traffic bottlenecks, instead, the MPO is in bed with the Port Lobby – so to are VDOT and the CTB – and the General Assembly.

Good because the 6 MPO projects are the wrong projects for our region and under HB 6055 the old list of projects can be changed by the MPO – and a new list developed that might actually improve our traffic flow and shift much more of the port’s multimodal container traffic to rail instead of trucks and highways.

Given recent events in the dramatic rise in the cost of diesel fuel, rail is quickly beoming a more economical mode of transportation for port cargo.

A major disappointment in HB 6055 is a complete lack of controls placed on tolls. It appears that the plan is to allow the private for profit firms that will submit their proposals for the PPTA projects to have free reign to extort as much as they desire from our local residents for the use of our region’s highway system.

There are no caps on the cost of tolls and no process defined that requires toll increases to seek voter or General Assembly approval.

This is a mistake. And those of us living in Tidewater will most likely suffer from abusive toll increases because of the failure of the General Assembly to place reasonable controls on the cost of tolls into HB 6055.

]]> By: Virginia Democrats Want ALL of Your Money http://bearingdrift.com/2008/07/09/the-lines-are-clearly-drawn/#comment-4014 Virginia Democrats Want ALL of Your Money Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:17:59 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=648#comment-4014 [...] Where have we heard that before? Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his merry band of liberal legislators want it all. [...] [...] Where have we heard that before? Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and his merry band of liberal legislators want it all. [...]

]]> By: D.J. McGuire http://bearingdrift.com/2008/07/09/the-lines-are-clearly-drawn/#comment-4000 D.J. McGuire Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:10:04 +0000 http://bearingdrift.com/?p=648#comment-4000 Oh yeah, right, Brian. You told us all that HB6055 would have no tax increases whatsoever . . . Seriously, kudos to the House GOP for seeing the light; I honestly didn't think they had it in them. Oh yeah, right, Brian. You told us all that HB6055 would have no tax increases whatsoever . . .

Seriously, kudos to the House GOP for seeing the light; I honestly didn’t think they had it in them.

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